Three family generations, including a mother, yesterday filed a judicial protest in connection with a care order issued to the mother’s daughter who is 10 years old.
The protest was filed by a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of a 10-year-old girl who is under a care order requesting the authorities to allow them access to the child whom they had not visited for about five years.
The protest was filed against the Social Policy Minister. The three women said that girl was placed in care in January 2003. The mother had not contested the order at the time because of her state of health and at a later date, the Family Court granted the mother supervised access for an hour once a week at Appogg.
The mother said she had come across various obstacles to see her daughter. She was sometimes told the girl did not want to see her or that the girl did not find a lift to Appogg. The court subsequently ordered the agency to ensure that the girl was provided with transport to see her mother.
In January 2005, the court ordered that efforts to prepare the girl to meet her mother were to continue.
In August 2006, the women wrote a letter to the ministry asking whether there had been any progress in the girl’s therapy so that they would be able to see her. They were told that their letter was forwarded to Appogg; but they never heard from the agency. The women added that the girl received Confirmation and they were not invited to the ceremony. When they tried to visit her at school, they were stopped and told to go to Appogg if they wanted to see the girl. When they coincidentally met the girl in public walking accompanied by her social worker, the girl started waving at them but the social worker urged her to hurry on, they claimed.
Some five months ago, the mother caught a glimpse of the girl at Appogg and she looked fine and did not seem scared of her. The women argued that it was clear some people were attempting to ensure that the girl remains estranged from her family, causing irreparable damage to the child. They wished to see her especially since the great-grandmother, aged 86, was not in a good state of health. They called on the authorities to grant them access to the girl and held them liable for damages. Dr Henry Antoncich signed the protest.